Author: Orit ben Tzvi

Orit is Israel Rising's regional and threat analyst. She has a degree from IDC in Middle East Diplomacy and has served both intelligence related activities for the IDF as well as advised privately for firms doing business in the region.
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Twitter Tries To Silence Sydney Powell

Twitter has been all in on the Deep State’s return to full control of the USA by continuously blocking important information as well as suspending key Twitter accounts.

The most egregious, was Twitter’s blocking of the Hunter Biden story just before the election. Now, Twitter is at it again. They actually suspended the account of President Trump’s attorney Sydney Powell. Of course, they did this as she smashed through 1 million followers. This many followers would normally not be problem for Twitter, but Powell is alledging that she has evidence of serious widespread elections fraud by way of software manipulation.

Twitter could have allowed her to continue posting, especially since she has yet to bring any evidence (although I wouldn’t doubt that she has it), but they didn’t. Why not? Because Jack Dorsey and his company are in a sense just hatchet men for the Democratic Party.

They are now scared that their virtual regime filled with thought police and censors may actually lose against President Trump – so instead of allowing freedom of speech they are busy trying to stamp out the truth. The problem with what Twitter is doing is that it is not being honest.

By censoring real information they don’t stop this information from reaching the important legal deciders who will in fact make the decisions that may lead to a second Trump term. The only people that will be surprised by a decision that will lead to another Trump term will be those that don’t dig deeper than their Twitter feed.

But this is the world now. Twitter and the other tech giants are now fully coopted by the Deep State and the Democratic Party. In the hope that all of this will just go away if they can silence it, the tech giants are betting wrong. No one who really cares trusts them or the MSM. In fact the overreach in silencing means that there may be something to hide or they wouldn’t try to hide it.

Sydney Powell is not to be taken lightly. True, she has not brought evidence to the media, but that is not what she needs to do. While Twitter is busy trying to silence her, the evidence she has is more than likely being readied for what really matters – the courts.

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“The land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people, in which the State of Israel was established.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke about the Nation-State Law in today’s cabinet meeting:

“The State of Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, with full equal rights for all of its citizens. This is the meaning of the words ‘a Jewish and democratic state’.”

We have determined the personal equal rights of Israeli citizens in a series of laws including Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, laws that ensure full equality before the law, beginning with the right to vote and be elected to the Knesset and ending with all other personal rights in the State of Israel.

However, we have never determined the national rights of the Jewish People in its land in a basic law – until now, when we passed the Nation-State Law. What is the meaning of national rights? They define the flag, the national anthem, the language and, of course, the fact that one of the basic goals of the state is the ingathering of exiles of our people and their absorption here in the land of Israel. This is the meaning of the Zionist vision.

Does determining that our flag bears the Star of David somehow abrogate the individual right of anyone among Israel’s citizens? Nonsense, but determining this ensures that there will not be another flag. Does determining that Hatikvah is our national anthem detract from the personal rights of any person in Israel? Nonsense, but it does determine that there will not be another anthem. Already there are proposals to replace the flag and the anthem in the name of equality, as it were. There is opposition to the idea of a nation-state in many countries, but first of all in the State of Israel, something that undermines the foundation of our existence, and therefore, the attacks emanating from left-wing circles that define themselves as Zionist are absurd and expose the nadir to which the left has sunk.

Now, I would like to quote from the basic principles of the Nation-State Law. The first clause: ‘The land of Israel is the historical homeland of the Jewish people, in which the State of Israel was established.’ The second clause: ‘The State of Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, in which it fulfills its natural, cultural, religious and historical right to self-determination.’ The third clause: ‘The right to exercise national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.’ The Nation-State law goes on to anchor in basic legislation our flag, our national anthem, the symbols of the state and that Jerusalem is our eternal capital. Would the fathers of Zionism not sign it?

Over decades the opposition has preached to us that we must withdraw to the 1967 lines in order to ensure that Israel remains the national state of the Jewish people in which there is a Jewish majority in the state. Then suddenly when we pass a basic law to ensure exactly this, the left cries out in protest? What hypocrisy.

The Israeli left must search within itself. It needs to ask itself why the basic term of Zionism, ‘a Jewish national state of the Jewish people in its land’, has become a rude term for it, a rude word, a principle that one should be ashamed of. We are not ashamed of Zionism. We are proud of our state, that it is a national home for the Jewish people, which strictly upholds – in a manner that is without peer – the individual rights of all its citizens.

As opposed to the infuriating words that we hear from left-wing spokespersons, the result of which is the taunting of the Jewish state, the feelings of our Druze brothers and sisters touch my heart. I want to tell them: There is nothing in this law that infringes on your rights as equal citizens of the State of Israel, and there is nothing in it that harms the special status of the Druze community in Israel. The people of Israel, and I among them, love and appreciate you. We very much esteem the partnership and the covenant between us.

I am aware of the feelings coming from the community. Therefore, I met with the head of the community and I will continue this dialogue today as well, in order to find solutions that will meet the concerns and give expression to the special partnership between us. I promise you that this partnership of fate will only strengthen.”

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“We will not accept any such violation”

Tensions continue to rise on the Golan Heights after Israel shot down a Syrian fighter jet, which crossed into its airspace.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following on the incident:

“Our air defense systems identified a Syrian Air Force jet that took off from the T-4 Syrian Air Force base and penetrated Israeli airspace. This is a gross violation of the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement with Syria. I have reiterated and made clear that we will not accept any such violation. We will not accept any such penetration of, or spillover into, our territory, neither on the ground nor in the air. Our forces acted appropriately. We insist that the Syrians strictly abide by the Separation of Forces Agreement between us and them.”

With the rebel collapse in the Syrian occupied Golan Heights, regime soldiers as well as Iranian and Hezbollah forces are closing in on Israel’s territory.

 

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PM Netanyahu Meets with Local Council Heads from the Area Adjacent to the Gaza Strip

(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Monday, 16 July 2018), in Sderot, met with local council heads from the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip* and made the following remarks at the end of the meeting:

“I have just finished an excellent meeting with the heads of councils in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip. I told them that we are in a prolonged struggle.

Just as we are now completing the blocking of the tunnels and as we took action and succeeded in stopping the mass storming of the fences, I have directed the IDF to defeat and stop the terror of incendiary kites and balloons, and we are in the midst of the process.

It is important that Hamas understand that it faces an iron wall and this wall is comprised, first of all, of a determined government, of strong local leadership and Zionist settlement, and that we will continue to strengthen it and – of course – the IDF.

We are proud of them and I am proud of the marvelous local residents who are facing difficult days. But I am convinced of our common strength to rebuff, deter and, in the end, defeat this Gaza-based terror.”

From Prime Minister Netanyahu’s answers to questions:

“I was just in a kindergarten where I saw small adorable children. We are committed to them and this is a continuous process. I do not want to tell anybody that it is over.

The day before yesterday we took very strong action against Hamas and dealt it the strongest blow it has taken since Operation Protective edge. It must be understood that whoever asks me these questions needs to be prepared for the continuation of the struggle.

There is an exchange of blows here. It is not over in one go and I cannot comfort those who have taken the most difficult losses. This is very hard to take, but we know that we are in a prolonged Zionist struggle.

For 100 years we have been fighting terror; we fight it forcefully. This place right now is the confrontation line between Islamic terrorism and the state of the Jews and we are determined to win. This entails an exchange of blows which are not yet over.”

From Prime Minister Netanyahu’s answer to a question about the kites:

“Indeed we have instructed the IDF to stop this. We do not accept, I said this yesterday as clearly as possible and it is worth their while to listen to me, especially on the other side, there is no such thing from our perspective of a ceasefire that makes an exception for incendiary kites and balloons. There is no such thing. From our point-of-view this does not exist and therefore we are in the midst of a process. I will say this for the seventh time and it will, I hope, get through. But if it will not be understood from my words, it will be understood through the actions of the IDF.”

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Jewish Home Receives Direct Rocket Hit, IDF to Increase Intensity Against Hamas

With a missile directly hitting a house in Sderot over Shabbat, injuring the family inside, the IDF has been ordered to increase the intensity of its responses to Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following: “In consultation with the Minister of Defense, the Chief-of-Staff and the top security command of the State of Israel, we have decided on strong action against Hamas terrorism. The IDF has struck Hamas with the hardest blow since Operation Protective Edge and we will increase the strength of our attacks as necessary.”

Hamas and Islamic Jihad has now claimed they have reached a ceasefire with Israel.  With over 180 rockets fired at Israel since Friday, Israeli officials are waiting to see “facts on the ground” before ruling an intensifying of the IDF’s next moves.

 

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Bibi Netanyahu: “We will not tolerate the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies anywhere in Syria”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this morning (Sunday, 8 July 2018), at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, made the following remarks:

“This week I will fly to Moscow for an important meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. We meet from time-to-time in order to ensure security coordination and, of course, to discuss regional developments.

At the meeting I will reiterate the two basic principles of Israel’s policy: First, we will not tolerate the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies anywhere in Syria – not close to the border and not far away from it. Second, we will demand that Syria, and the Syrian military, strictly uphold the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement.

It is self-evident that I am in regular contact with the American administration. These links with the two great powers are very important to the security of Israel at all times and especially at present.

Regarding the Polish law, the goal of the contacts with the Polish government was to abrogate the criminal clauses in the Polish law that cast a pall of fear over research and free discourse regarding the Holocaust. This goal was achieved. I thank the team of Joseph Ciechanover and Jacob Nagel for succeeding in removing the criminal clauses from the Polish law.

The declaration that was published following the change in the law was overseen by a senior historian.

However, various comments were made after its publication. I have listened intently to the comments of the historians, including about several things that were not included in the declaration. I respect this and I will give expression to it.

We are marking 78 years since the passing of Zeev Jabotinsky (the Cabinet will hear a briefing). I think that with the perspective of history it is possible to understand the magnitude of his contribution to the Zionist enterprise. First of all, before anything else, there was the establishment of a Jewish fighting force after generations in which we did not have the strength to wield the sword and defend ourselves. His great work in establishing combat brigades [click here for details] in the British army during the First World War, in effect, laid the important foundations for the establishment of the IDF.

All of this started with the effort of Jabotinsky and Trumpledor with the British authorities during the First World War and, of course, in cooperation with the legendary commander of these forces, Col. John Henry Patterson, whom my family knew well. Today we will receive a new addition of Jabotinsky’s writings; I would be pleased if you could display it.”

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Israel is Leading an Infrastructure Revolution

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, today (Monday, 2 July 2018), attended the dedication ceremony for the Ra’anana West and Ra’anana South railway stations. Before the ceremony, they traveled by train from Ra’anana West to Ra’anana South.

Following is an excerpt from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks:

“We just traveled from one side of Ra’anana to the other and we saw the gleaming towers and the high-tech. You see the progress and the prosperity of the [industrial] parks. You see Israel innovating and you see the future, you really see the future.

Regarding tunnels, we are both building and destroying. We are destroying the terrorist tunnels of those people who are not investing like us in a better life for their people but only in how to attack us.

And in contrast we are building these tunnels here which shorten the distances.

I just told Yisrael [Katz] that with the great link that we are making – north to south, south to center, center to center – we are here joining everything together and opening all these possibilities.

In the end, within the cities, even though there has been an effort to do very important work with elevated trains, underground trains, express highways and express lanes, in the end we will need to dig many tunnels with new technology.”

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Former MK and Minister Arrested for Spying for Iran

The Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police, last month (May 2018), arrested former minister and MK Gonen Segev on suspicion of having aided the enemy in wartime and spied against the State of Israel.

Following the investigation, the State Attorney (Jerusalem District), on 15 June 2018, filed a criminal indictment against Segev in Jerusalem District Court for the aforesaid offenses and for numerous charges regarding passing information to the enemy. The indictment was approved by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit and State Attorney Shai Nitzan.

Segev, who has lived in Nigeria in recent years, went to Equatorial Guinea in May 2018. He was transferred to Israel at the request of the Israel Police after Equatorial Guinea refused him entry due to his criminal record.



Upon arriving in Israel, Segev was detained for investigation by the ISA and the Israel Police pursuant to information which indicated that Segev was in contact with elements in Iranian intelligence and was assisting them vis-Ă -vis their activity against the State of Israel.

During his subsequent investigation, it was learned that Segev had been recruited – and was active – as an agent for Iranian intelligence. It was also learned that contact had been made in 2012 between Segev and elements from the Iranian Embassy in Nigeria, and that Segev had subsequently twice visited Iran to meet with his handlers in full knowledge that they were Iranian intelligence operatives.

Segev also met with his Iranian handlers in various hotels and apartments around the world which he assumed were used for covert activity. Segev even received secret communications equipment for encoding messages between him and his handlers.

Segev transferred to his handlers information on – inter alia – the energy economy, security sites in Israel, and diplomatic and security personnel and buildings.

In order to perform the missions that he had been assigned by his handlers, Segev maintained contacts with Israeli citizens in the foreign affairs and security fields. Segev worked to put some of these Israeli citizens in contact with Iranian intelligence agents by misleading the former and presenting the latter as innocent Iranian businessmen.

At the request of the ISA and the Israel Police, the court agreed to allow publication of the foregoing. All other details regarding the case are subject to a gag order.

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Germany Approves €1 Billion Deal to Lease Israeli Drones

Despite small protests outside Germany’s Bundestag, the German parliament approved a €1 billion deal for leasing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). These UAVs  are capable of carrying payloads of weapons. For Germany, this is important  and carrying out attack missions in the German army’s theaters of operation in Mali and Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following concerning the deal:

“I am very pleased by the decision of the German parliament yesterday to approve the giant deal to lease Israeli UAVs. This is an incredible deal that has implications, first of all, for our security industries and for the Israeli economy, but also for the continued strengthening of security relations between Israel and Germany. Germany helps Israel with security, and Israel also helps Germany. This is a very important development and I would like to personally thank Chancellor Merkel. I spoke with her about this ten days ago. She told me that she would pass it through the parliament and she did so.”

Why is this deal important?

Simply put, it cements Israel as the preeminent military drone developer.  Not only that, it provides Israel with a huge win in a country that originally saw this deal nearly torpedoed by the German Social Democratic Party (SDP). While Western Europe has increasingly been confrontational with Israel at the UN, its continuous diplomatic antagonism appears empty as countries like Germany realize that only Israel can provide the type of technology it needs.

According to Globes the deal includes:  €720 million payment to the Airbus Defense and Space company, which will lease seven UAVs from IAI (five regular UAVs and two for training) and €177 million to the Israeli government for use of airports, command and control facilities, and support and maintenance services.

Essentially Germany will have its first permanent presence in Israel.



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Israel Approves 30 Million Shekels for Digital Health Innovation Pilots

Two months after the Israeli government approved a one-billion-shekel national digital health program as a means of improving public health and as an engine of growth for the economy, the Digital Israel Initiative at the Israeli Ministry for Social Equality, the Israeli Health Ministry, and the Israel Innovation Authority have announced the launch of a new pilot program to be carried out in healthcare organizations across Israel. The new program will support research and development proposals and pilot facilities in the field of digital health. These pilots will be carried out in Israeli healthcare organizations or will be based on these organizations’ capabilities and data.



The program is intended for Israeli tech companies (not including any of the healthcare organizations in Israel) in the field of medicine and health. The companies accepted to the program will receive between 20% to 50% of approved R&D expenditures, with funding of up to 60% to 75% for proposals that show potential to significantly advance the public healthcare system in Israel and around the world, or that promise a breakthrough in their field.

The program will enable participating companies to significantly advance commercialization of their product. Implementation in test sites will also help facilitate go-to-market strategies. The program will help offset risks involved in R&D, without a stake in future profits. Companies will return their grants to the Israel Innovation Authority via royalties from sales only if an initiative has been commercialized.

Israeli Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel, who initiated the national Digital Health Program said, “Just two months after the government resolution I led promoting digital health was passed, the launch of this pilot program illustrates our commitment along with our partners to a quick and full implementation of the government resolution. The national digital health program is revolutionary and groundbreaking, and will position Israel as a superpower in digital health, with healthcare services among the most advanced anywhere in the world.”

Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, Eli Cohen said, “Healthcare companies often need access to information and systems which are not normally available to growing companies to prove the viability of their technology. This program will make it easier for companies to have access to information not currently available to them and will help build a bridge between them and Israeli healthcare institutions.”

The Digital Health Initiative will help promote innovation and the implementation of advanced solutions in Israeli healthcare organizations in an effort to improve medical treatment and healthcare services for patients and provide solutions to challenges faced by the healthcare system with solutions such as individualized medicine, preventative healthcare, tele-care, decision-support systems, digital medical devices, solutions for patient empowerment, and others.

Submission Criteria:

1.    Level of technological innovation and uniqueness of a pilot.

2.    Level of difficulty and technological challenge.

3.    A company’s capabilities including management’s ability to lead a program to commercial success.

4.    The economic-business growth potential of a company if the pilot succeeds.

5.    The overall technological and vocational potential for the Israeli economy.

6.    The overall effect a project can have on improving and streamlining the healthcare system in Israel.

7.    Quality of the pilot program – including the level of the test site and the synergy between the company and the site.

8.    The pilot program’s potential benefits to the company itself in terms of its go-to-market and commercialization strategies.

Chief Scientist of the Israel Ministry of Economy and Industry and Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, Dr. Ami Appelbaum said, “The board of directors of the Israel Innovation Authority has approved this program to support innovation in companies, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Digital Israel. Operating programs and pilots in real-time environments with adapted regulation will allow Israeli technology companies to offer proof of concept and quickly penetrate markets, thus helping them grow into large-scale companies in Israel. In addition, the commercialization of innovative technologies in Israel will improve the local market and the government’s regulatory capabilities and will help government entities propel tech companies from idea to commercialization. The goals of the program include developing and implementing innovative technologies in the fields of healthcare and medicine and examining their viability among relevant clients, promoting the healthcare system and public health in Israel and around the world, and creating and growing viable companies in the field of digital health in Israel through innovative technological solutions.”

CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, Aharon Aharon said, “The goal of this unique program is to offer coordinated solutions from the Israel Innovation Authority and Ministry of Health for pain points we have identified in growing innovation ecosystems, especially those with heavy regulation and government involvement. These include the challenges associated with raising funds related to high levels of risk and difficulty, or with market obstacles or limitations stemming from the lack of access to testing facilities or difficulty receiving necessary regulatory permits.”

Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman Tov said, “The State of Israel has over the years developed a healthcare system amongst the finest in the world, based on outstanding public healthcare services offered to the citizens of Israel. We and our government partners launched the national digital health program this year to serve as an engine of growth in order to continue to develop our healthcare services and to position Israel at the forefront of digital health worldwide. As part of this nationwide program, the government is launching this pilot program to promote investment in research and development in a range of innovative healthcare technologies. The program will make it easier for healthcare organizations to work with companies in the industry and will leverage the expertise of medical teams with innovative Israeli technologies to improve health services in Israel.”